


Switching Places

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AND I DO MY BEST WITH GRAMMAR TOO, Abusive John Winchester, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Charlie The Shipper, Dancing, Dean And Cas Adopt A Kid, Depression, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, HEY LOOK A COMPLETED STORY, Humor, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It Was Actually Supposed To Be A Lot More Depressing, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sam Needs A Hug, Singing, So Fluffy It Will Rot Your Teeth Out, Some Dude From New York Times Thinks It's The Bomb, There's A Plot In Here I Swear, Weddings, You People Got Lucky, attempted suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-19 18:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5976640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmates; who needs 'em.</p>
<p>Not Dean.</p>
<p>His would never come, never find him and Sammy, never raise them from the Hell that John made them live through.</p>
<p>Soulmates; tied together from day 1.</p>
<p>Cas had fallen for his soulmate already. And they had never met. On the New Year's Day after his fifteenth birthday, he would switch places with his, leave clues, and meet them. And they would live Happily Ever After.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Save Me

"Up! Get up, boy!" John snarled. Dean sat up swiftly, banging his head on the ceiling. His bunk was ridiculously close to the ceiling, mostly so that Sam could have lots of space for himself.

"Does the living room _look_ clean?" John ranted. Dean quickly shook his head _no_.

"What was that?" John asked sadistically.

"No, sir." Dean squeaked. The fourteen-year-old flinched as John picked up an empty beer bottle. He winced when John smashed it over his head. But he didn't freak out until Sam walked in.

"What are you doing?!" Sam yelled.

"Treating Dean as he deserves." John snarled.

"He doesn't deserve this!" Sam yelled back, "No matter _what_ he did, he doesn't deserve this!"

"Sam, don't-" Dean started to speak, horrified.

"Do not speak unless spoken to, boy!" John said viciously.

"Dad!" Sam interjected.

"Watch your tone, boy." John chided.

"Don't hit my brother, then!" Sam fumed.

"I'll do as I see fit!" John rebutted, raising his hand to hit Sam. Dean immediately sprung into action.

"No!" Dean nearly screamed, "Don't hit Sammy! Hit me! Do what you want to me!" Dean pleaded, latching onto John's arm. John quickly broke another bottle over Dean's head, and Dean was out cold, blood dripping like morbid syrup off his forehead.

"Please." Sam pleaded, "Don't do this."

"I do as I wish!" John yelled, "I am your father! Do not talk back to me!" Sam didn't expect the punch to the face that John gave him. Well, actually, he did, but it still hurt.

"You two are a disappointment!" John yelled, "To me, to the school, to your _mother_ "

"Please." Sam pleaded again. John picked up a final bottle and Sam soon had a mark to match Dean's. Sam waited until John had left- probably to get more alcohol- before he moved agonizingly over to Dean.

"Merry Christmas." Sam whispered, "Got you a present." Sam slowly reached into a jean pocket to find an amulet. He tied it around Dean's neck and couldn't miss the grin that appeared on Dean's face, even if he was too terrified to speak.


	2. Find Me

"Gabe, are you okay?" Anna asked the fourth grader. Gabe quickly nodded his head, perhaps too quickly, and returned to his candy. He was making toffee for the New Year's party, and this one was near-and-dear, mainly because Cas was fifteen. Gabe's soulmate was having another panic attack, thus explaining the stress-baking. Gabe could feel the panic faintly, like something was wrong. After he Switched with his soulmate, the feelings would grow more intensely, but he had to already have had a stronger-than-normal bond with his soulmate to be able to feel more than a faint sense of 'Something Is Wrong'.

"Let's see..." Cas fretted. His Soul-Bond was average, so he just wound up with the faint feeling of _wrong_. Unfortunately, he couldn't really tell the difference between feeling Soulmate-Wrong and Wrong-Wrong, so he thought he had forgotten something for his Switching party.

"Paper, pens, language encyclopedia..." Cas counted everything, "Map, circle for where we are, Google translate pulled up on the IPad..."

"Chillax, Cassie." Luci said, entering the room and sweeping his brother up in a huge Satan-sized hug. 

"I know," Cas said, "I know, it's just... I can never tell if my soulmate's in trouble or upset or anxious or if I've forgotten something..."

"Hey, it'll be fine- AND TO THE FELLA OVER THERE WITH THE HELL-A GOOD HAIR" Lucifer broke into the chorus of _Shake It Off_.

"Looks- like- your- soulmate's- a- Swifty." Gabe managed between laughs, panic attack forgotten, "That's- the third Taylor Swift song I've heard come out of your mouth today!"

"I love him already." Anna sighed. Cas had had a Beatles song stuck in his head all day- Hey Jude, to be exact. It sounded faint, like a scratched record, another sign of his Soul-Bond being weaker than normal.

The siblings continued their day as normal, Lucifer randomly bursting into Taylor Swift songs, a habit he'd picked up after his Switching Day, Anna being her usual bossy self, Cas fretting over every tiny detail, and Gabe baking and cooking his worries away.

"Fifteen minutes!" Gabe said. Cas had eaten a _lot_ of candy, mostly out of stress. He was settling himself onto a recliner, re-reading his favorite book (Harry Potter).

"Ten minutes!" Anna yelled excitedly. Cas felt his heart rate increase, and his breathing increase. Lucifer was singing _Red_ , again, and Gabe was stuffing his face with whipped cream and playing Truth-Or-Dare with Balthazar, who had showed up sometime around ten.

"Five minutes!" Lucifer said excitedly, researching (Facebook-stalking) his soulmate _again_ , some poor dude named Michael.

"Ten seconds." Cas closed his eyes at Gabe's words, letting the world slip away.

"Five!" everyone shouted.

"Four!" was it a bit quieter or was it just Cas?

"Three!" their words _were_ fading a little, becoming farther and farther away and joining an ethereal chorus of people, shouting in all languages and voices, ranging from the squeak of a small child to the wheeze of an old man.

"Two..." the number sounded faint, almost like someone was pressing Styrofoam against Cas's ears.

"One..." the word passed through Cas's mind vaguely, but what was more prominent was the scent of apple pie and cinnamon and something woodsy and musty.


	3. Know Me

Cas woke up to a dull throbbing in his head. And his arms. His legs. Everywhere was sore.

"Up, boy!" a strange man yelled. Cas jolted up and banged his head on the wooden ceiling of the house.

"Hello." Cas said calmly, noticing he was in the body of a Caucasian male, and that the man was speaking American-sounding English.

"Hello?!" the man yelled, "All I get is a hello?!"

"I am sorry, what state are we in?" Cas asked calmly.

"You know damned well which state we're in, boy, now pick up the damn living room for once!" the man raged. Cas didn't like his tone of voice one little bit.

"I am afraid I do not know what state we are in." Cas stated, eyeing the man coldly, "As I seem to have Switched with your son."

"Nonsense." the man waved his hand dismissively, "You don't _have_ a soulmate, and you know it. Only _decent_ people get soulmates."

"Have you been feeding these lies to my soulmate all this time?" Cas snarled, feeling that- thank God- this boy seemed to have some muscles, just in case the man decided to attack him, which wasn't an unfounded precaution.

"Come. With. Me. Boy." the man hissed, dragging Cas to the living room, which was covered in old food, smashed beer bottles, and something that looked terribly like blood.

"You will pick this up." the man stated, eyes full of fire.

"I am not your child. You cannot tell me to pick up a mess which I assume is yours to begin with." Cas said back. He hadn't been in a mirror, but he would find one, and memorize his soulmate's face. Every last detail. And he would race to find him.

"You _are_ my child, you great disappointment, so get cleaning!" the man yelled, drawing the attention of a small ten-year-old.

"Dad, what are you doing?" the kid asked, with a face that clearly said he knew what was going on already.

"Getting your good-for-nothing brother to do something productive!" the slightly older man yelled, "First Mary dies, the house burns down, then I have to raise you boys on my own, then Dean drops out of school, and now _this_!" he gestured to Cas, "You two are a disappointment to me and Mary and everyone else!"

"That's it." Cas snapped, "I'm taking the kid." he dragged the child over to the side, "Where are the keys to the car?" he whispered. The kid pointed to a completely full ashtray, which had soot-covered keys laying inside it. Cas grabbed the keys and just... left. The man was gaping, as if he couldn't believe his son would do something like that. Cas was in the driveway when something clicked in the man's brain, and he raced outside. Cas quickly hopped into the driver's seat and the kid got into the passenger's side.

"What's your name?" Cas asked as he pulled out of the driveway at maximum speed, nearly hitting the mailbox but getting out before the man could catch up.

"Sam." the kid stuttered, eyes wide.

"Well then, Sam, does your brother have a driver's license?" Sam nodded his head and Cas found the man's wallet. _Dean Winchester_ was on the ID. He had freckles and a wonderful smile and- oh god- his eyes were magnificent.

"You're his brother, right?" Cas asked after a while of just driving, not knowing where they were. Sam nodded.

"What state are we in?" Cas sighed, giving up on doing this himself.

"Kansas." Sam murmured, still looking a little panicky.

"Anywhere we can go?" Cas asked. Sam nodded, "Bobby's."

"Where's that?" Cas asked.

"South Dakota." Sam said, "If we hurry we can make it by sunrise."

"Okay." Cas said, taking a right, which hopefully lead to South Dakota.


	4. Make Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING WARNING WARNING SO MANY TRIGGERS DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED EASILY**

"Hey." a voice sounded by Dean's ear, but it didn't sound like John or Sam.

"Hey!" the voice yelled, "They're awake!"

"Do... you... speak... English?" a short and pudgy boy with golden blond hair spoke slowly. Dean crinkled his brow, "Of course."

"Oh, thank God." the boy gasped in relief, "There's not a foreigner in the chair. We won't even have to go cross-country, from the sound of your voice."

"What?" Dean was confused.

"What state're you from?" a perky redhead walked into the room. Dean put on a flirtatious smile, but a glare sent to him from the teenager silenced him.

"Don't hit on me." she said, "Especially not when you're in my brother's body. Or when you're his soulmate."

"What?" Dean was uber confused now.

"You... are... our... brother's... soulmate... are you sure you speak English?" Shortie spoke again.

"I just need a minute..." Dean huffed, placing his head between his legs and feeling a slight crick in his back. Great, his soulmate wasn't one for exercise. Dean thought for a moment, the thought of having a soulmate completely overwhelming him for a while. His father had always told him _you don't deserve a soulmate_ and _worthless people don't get soulmates_. And the worst part was, Dean had believed him. It hadn't even occurred to him that his soulmate was a _dude_ until a few moments later, and the panic and worry flooded him again. Little did he know, in his car, Cas was experiencing the exact same worry and guilt and panic, and he didn't know why.

Eventually, Dean stood up and made his way to a mirror. Maybe he'd just have to see what his soulmate looked like. He stood in front of the mirror for a good thirty minutes, just gaping openly at the specter that was right in front of him, the specter that he was for a day. He had black hair and tan skin, the lean build of a runner or swimmer, and some peach-fuzz scruff. But none of that even came close to his eyes. His eyes made the sky look white, the sea look black, and the pools look morbid shades of green. They were all the shades of blue Dean could imagine, and even a few that he couldn't.

"Like what you see?" another man, a blond with lighter hair than the first with the tips dyed pink, approached Dean.

"Of course..." Dean let out a squeak, "But John said I wouldn't have one..." Dean hung his head.

"Hey, hey, who's John?" the man asked, kneeling down in front of Dean.

"My father." Dean whispered.

"And he told you that you wouldn't have a soulmate?" the man sounded outraged.

"He said that only good people got soulmates. He said I wasn't good enough, that I was worthless." Dean sniffed, suddenly embarrassed about spilling his guts to some random stranger.

"I haven't even met you, and I know you aren't worthless." the man rubbed his hands up and down Dean's arms.

"Where am I?" Dean asked suddenly.

"Florida." the man smiled, "I'm Lucifer." Dean looked Lucifer in the eye and saw a light blue that could never do justice to the shade of his soulmate's.

"Luci! Gabe's makin' food!" the redhead called from the kitchen.

"That's our cue." Lucifer smiled brightly, walking out. Dean followed closely.

"Is that pancakes I smell?" Lucifer asked. Gabe nodded, handing Lucifer two plates, one for him and one for Dean.

"Okay..." Anna said contemplatively when Dean sat down, "You're my brother's soulmate. Time to see if you fit the bill."

"What's your favorite color?" Anna asked.

"Blue." Dean said. Anna raised an eyebrow at that.

"Favorite band?" 

"AC/DC." Dean answered immediately, "With Metallica as a close second."

"Okay, I can live with that." Anna responded, "Favorite song?"

" _Hey Jude_." Dean didn't say why.

"Not bad." Anna smiled, "How many dates?"

"Almost none." Dean sighed, "One with Lisa Braeden, she dumped me, one with Benny Lafitte, also dumped me."

"May I ask why?" Anna raised an eyebrow again.

"I'm- not ready to talk about it." Dean decided, "But I think my soulmate may be in some degree of danger." he remembered John and what he could do and what if his soulmate was hit or worse?

"Cassie might be in trouble?!" Anna spit out her pancakes.

"His name's Cassie?" Dean asked, not really liking the name.

"Well, it's actually Cas." Lucifer said, "And what kind of trouble is my baby brother in." he said, voice dangerously low.

"My father truly believes I would never get a soulmate." Dean said, running a hand through some incredibly soft hair.

"Oh-" Anna was on her feet in an instant, "Where's your house?"

"7075 Blackberry Ln. Lawrence, Kansas." Dean said. Anna nodded and grabbed her keys, throwing Lucifer his leather jacket and Gabe a hoodie with _I Am Sher-locked_ written on it.

"Get in the car." Anna said, hopping into the driver's seat. Lucifer soon followed and Gabe was a close third, only Dean lagging behind.

"What're you waiting for?" Anna asked, "Get in the fucking car!"

Dean shook his head clear of his thoughts and got in the car. Anna left in a hurry and they went on the impromptu roadtrip, going at least 20 miles per hour over the speed limit the whole time, not expecting to find what they did, thirty minutes until the end of Dean's time in Cas's body, in Lawrence.

"He... he..." Dean was at a loss for words. His father was hanging by the neck, a noose designed from bedsheets, and no note in sight.


	5. To Me

"So I take a... left... here?" Cas asked. Sam nodded, keeping his eyes firmly trained on the map. Cas took a left and came upon their destination with 14 hours left in Dean's body.

"Singer's Auto Shop. Is that where we want to go?" Sam nodded again.

"Okay, looks like we're here!" Cas said excitedly, hopping out of the Impala.

"Thank God you didn't crash my brother's car. He'd be furious." Sam sniggered, walking up to the ramshackle house, which seemed rather befitting of the junk yard.

"Sam, Dean!" a middle-aged man approached the two.

"Actually, this 's Dean's soulmate, Cas." Sam smiled brightly at the man, who Cas assumed was a far better parent than the man back in Lawrence.

"Well, I'd better give 'im the once-over." Bobby- Cas remembered his name- said gruffly, causing Sam to face-palm.

"I'm kinda hungry, is Ellen making something?" Sam said after thirty seconds of uncomfortable silence and Bobby scrutinizing Cas, even if Cas's body was familiar to the older man.

"Stew." Bobby said. Sam practically flew into Bobby's house after that.

"I suppose you'll want some too," Bobby sighed, "Come in."

"Oh no- I don't want to be a bother-" Cas protested as Bobby practically dragged him into his house. In the house was an older woman, probably his soulmate, a man in his early twenties with a mullet, and a young girl, about ten.

"Hello, boys." Ellen smiled at them. Cas held out his hand, "Hello, I'm Dean's soulmate, Castiel."

"Well then," Ellen's smile looked a little forced.

"Mom," the girl said, "Don't scare the poor fella."

"Oh- sorry-" Ellen laughed a little, "Sit down. I'm rather protective of my boys."

"O-oh." Cas stuttered. He took a chair and Sam, who sat next to him, was almost literally drooling over Ellen's stew, which smelled delicious.

"First question." Ellen said, sitting down, "Where do you live?"

"Angel Falls, Florida." Cas said.

"Okay, any hobbies?"

"I like swimming." Cas shrugged.

"Favorite band?"

"Don't really have one," Cas shrugged, "I like country."

Sam put down his spoon and stared at Cas, "I never thought I'd hear those words out of my brother's mouth."

"I'm assuming he doesn't like country music?" Cas laughed.

"He's a huge classic rock fan." Sam said.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I'll listen to just about anything." Cas laughed, "Just be glad I'm not my brother, Lucifer's, soulmate. His soulmate's a Swifty. So far this week he's sung Red and Shake It Off too many times to count." 

"Wow, my brother would hate you." Sam laughed.

"Not complaining or anything, but why are you boys here anyway?" Ellen asked.

"Cas took me, something about John made him." Sam's face became shadowed.

"John was the worst father they could have asked for." Cas said darkly, "I hope I've done the right thing."

"I'm sure you have." Ellen said kindly.

The conversation continued like this until Sam said, quite suddenly, "You should probably get some rest."

"Why?"

"Well, Dean probably figured out where you'd go, you'll probably be really tired tomorrow." Sam said wisely. Cas nodded, he felt a little tired anyway, and padded into a guest room. Not even bothering to take off his jeans, he collapsed face-first onto the bed.

"Well, Dean could've done a lot worse." Ellen said to Sam. 

"Honestly he couldn't have done much better." Sam said proudly, retreating downstairs to talk to Jo about what Dean would definitely have classified as 'nerd stuff'.


	6. Wake Me

Dean woke up at Bobby's.

"Sammy?" Dean asked, feeling relieved when his little brother came bounding into the room.

"Well, you sure are happy today." Dean smiled as Sam wrapped his little arms around Dean's middle.

"M' soulmate's happy." Sam smiled.

"Ah." Dean said, "C'mon, bitch, let's go get some eggs."

"Jerk." Sam responded, huffing a laugh. They both went downstairs and Ellen sat at the table, breakfast already done.

"Sleep well?" Ellen asked, putting the eggs out on plates.

"Yeah." Dean said, sitting down and trying to get what he had seen the previous night out of his head.

"Your soulmate's a keeper." Ellen smiled, "He dragged Sam all the way here from Lawrence."

"Really?" Dean asked, "I went from Florida to Lawrence, took up most of my time."

"Oh." Ellen said, the conversation dying down.

"Y'think he'll try to look for me?" Dean asked cautiously.

"He certainly seemed the type." Bobby interjected.

"He said his name was Cas, right?" Dean asked. Sam nodded.

"Good. I was afraid of being drawn into some horrid love triangle or something." Dean smiled. Sam smiled back, feeling as if nothing could bring him down.

"Sammy, can I talk to you?" Dean asked once Sam had finished his eggs. Sam nodded and he and Dean went to Dean's 'room' in the house.

"Sammy- I-" Dean was close to tears, "I drove up from Angel Falls, Florida. When we got to Lawrence, we found Dad. Dead. He had hung himself." Sam's eyes widened in shock. His eyes teared up. Even if John hadn't been the _best_ father, they still loved him.

"I'm sorry." Dean said as Sam started to cry, burying his face in Dean's chest.

"Will Cas come get us?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Maybe, Sammy. Maybe." Dean said.

.o0o.

"Okay, turn right here." Cas said to his family. Anna made the turn and Cas found himself relaxing, but Gabriel just couldn't. His soulmate was having a _complete meltdown_ of all things, and it was taking all of his efforts to keep from crying himself.

"You okay?" Cas asked Gabe as Anna's car hurtled down the freeway. Gabe nodded quickly and turned to stare out the window. Honestly, he'd been so glad to have Cas back (as much as he didn't mind Dean- but it was creepy), and his soulmate was suffering. It wasn't fair.

"Sure?" Luci asked, turning around to see what was going on. Gabe nodded again, and then shook his head.

"What?" Cas asked, concerned.

"Soulmate." Gabriel croaked, turning to bury his face in Cas' sweater.

"Oh." Cas said, wrapping his arms around Gabe's torso.

"Almost there, two more hours." Anna said.

.o0o.

"You okay, Sammy?" Jo asked for the thousandth time that day.

"Not really." Sam admitted. Jo paused the episode of _Doctor Who_ they were watching- _Blink_ \- and turned to face Sam.

"Want to talk about it?" she smiled.

"John wasn't the... best father," Sam searched for words, "But he took care of us. He fed us. And I'm sure, deep down somewhere, he loved us." Sam's eyes were tearing up again.

"Hey, Sammy. I'm here." Jo's grin grew wider and she wrapped Sam up in another hug. Sam almost seemed cried out- tears leaked slowly from his eyes instead of the violent, desperate sobs he'd cried when he was with Dean.

"Wanna get back to our show?" Jo asked, clicking on the TV. Sam, laughing, sang the theme song with Jo.

"DO WEEE OOOOOH, BEEEE DOOO DOOO." they sang obnoxiously loud.

.o0o.

"DO WEEE OOOOOH, BEEEEE DOOO DOOO." Gabriel nearly screamed, after his cry session and a little nap.

"Would you shut up?" Anna asked, "Trying to keep my eyes on the road, thank you. Don't want to crash."

"Sorry- soulmate." Gabe's shit-eating grin was back.

"How much longer?" Luci whined.

"Only an hour, stop crying about it." Anna rolled her eyes.

"How come we couldn't go get my soulmate this quickly?" Luci crossed his arms and pouted.

"Because your soulmate didn't come from a shit home with an abusive father and lives in the suburbs of Michigan." Anna said evenly.

"Why do you make so much sense?!" Luci cried.

"Because I'm awesome." Anna smiled, "And, remember, we haven't gotten Charlie yet either."

"Ugh." Lucifer still found it extremely unfair and pouted the whole way there.

.o0o.

"Sammy, we've had an exhausting day, time for bed-"

"Just one more episode!" Sam pleaded, pressing _play_.

"The episodes are movie length!" Dean shouted, grabbing the remote and clicking the TV off.

"Hey!" Sam complained. He had to know what happened to Sherlock and he was on the _Riechenbach Fall_ episode how could he possibly leave the TV at that?

"C'mon, let's go. Bitch." Dean huffed, almost dragging Sam up the stairs to brush his teeth and go to bed.

"Fine. Jerk." Sam huffed back, climbing into his half of the bed. Dean climbed into the other half. Sam continued to make weird, complainy noises for exactly three seconds, at which point he passed out.

"G'night, Sammy." Dean smiled, looping an arm around Sam, almost protectively.

.o0o.

"Well, this is the place." Cas smiled, hopping out of the car.

"You sure?" Anna looked around the junk yard doubtfully, "The other place was nicer than this."

"Not on the inside." Cas said somberly, "Well? Let's go! Can't keep Dean waiting, now can I?"

"'Course not." Anna smiled, "I'm gonna hang back with Actual Candy Demon and Satan, you go on ahead." Cas sprinted to the door.

"Yellow?" a man answered gruffly when Cas rang the doorbell.

"It's Cas!" Cas' grin could've been spouting rainbows it was so cute.

"You came back." Bobby let out a relieved sigh, letting Cas in.

"DEAN!" Bobby yelled, "GET YOUR PRINCESS ASS DOWN HERE." it sounded almost affectionate, though, so very different from the way John referred to him.

"I'M COMIN', BOBBY." Dean yelled back, hopping down the stairs, half-awake Sam at his side.

"Dean." Cas said.

"Cas?" Dean still looked stunned.

"Dean!" Cas squealed, running forward into Dean's arms and hugging him.

"Hey-a Cas." Dean sighed, burying his face in Cas' neck.

"Hello, Cas." Sam said, joining the hug.

"C'mere." Dean said playfully, effectively smushing his little brother between himself and his soulmate.

"Dean!" Sam squealed, attempting to get away.

"So this is Dean." Lucifer stood at the doorway, looking over the scene. It didn't help that Jo was passed out on the couch and Ash on the table (dead drunk).

"Who're you?" Ellen was immediately suspicious.

"I'm Lucifer, Cas' older brother." Luci said, taking Ellen's hand.

"I'm Ellen." Ellen said, shaking Lucifer's hand.

"And I'm Anna, Cas' older sister." Anna said from right behind Luci.

"AND I'M GABRIEL!" Gabriel screeched, somehow managing to prove just _how_ knocked out Jo and Ash were.

"Gabe, find your chill." Luci raised an eyebrow at his younger sibling.

"Sorry." Gabe mumbled.

"He's addicted to candy. Hide yours." Luci advised, "Actually, scratch that, he'll find it. Just give it up now."

"Uh-" Ellen looked a little overwhelmed, "Do you want to take Dean?"

"Well, if you'll let us, we'd like for Dean to come over and go to school with Cas. Soulmates can get depressed when kept apart." Luci said sagely. He was rarely in moods like this, and they were even rarer when his soulmate was involved, but he figured this was as good a time as any to be serious.

"Right. I'll just have them pack their things-"

"Their?" Luci raised an eyebrow, "Is Dean non-binary or-"

"No, no. The boys are kind of a... package deal." Bobby said, "You want one, you get both. Which is why you don't mess with them."

"Okay, so, two new kids." Luci sighed, "Pack your bags boys! I'm driving us back!"

"Really?" this was all a bit of a dream come true for Dean.

"I found the candy." Gabriel announced quietly, holding a jar of hard caramels.

"Put those back." Anna said, swiftly grabbing the jar, and not noticing the exactly twenty-seven pieces Gabriel had hidden in his hoodie and jeans.

"You watch Sherlock?" Sam gasped.

"Indeed." Gabriel said. He and Sam both immediately started crying over something called a "Rikenboch". Apparently it was a series finale, and it was brutal.

"So..." Dean said, "Sammy, when Cas drove you over, did you bring our bags?"

"'Course." Sam said proudly, "Grabbed 'em myself!"

"Good job." Dean praised, ruffling Sam's hair. Sam blew a piece of wayward hair out of his face.

"Okay, got the bags!" Dean grinned. He put the bags in the trunk of a 1967 Chevy Impala and shut the trunk.

"Cas rides with me." Dean said, "Sam, you can ride with Gabe. Talk about that weird pale Britishguy Sillyname."

"Excuse me, bitch?" Gabriel asked, eye involuntarily twitching.

"Dean, like you have any room to talk." Sam said, eyeing Dean.

"What?" Dean acted like he didn't know.

"Doctor Sexy M.D.?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Really, Dean?" Cas snorted.

"It's a guilty pleasure." Dean snapped, "Now get in the damn car."

And with the sun rising behind their backs, they set off towards Florida.

"Break their hearts I'll break your spine!" Ellen yelled after them.


	7. Moose, Me

**(skip four years because I'm a lazy shit)**

"Gabriel, calm down." Sam called to his best friend.

"It's just- what if Kali isn't my soulmate?" Gabriel fretted.

"I'm sure she is." Sam smiled reassuringly.

"Okay. If you think so." Gabriel flashed a winning smile and settled on the sofa. Sam had the armchair and Balthazar was already passed out (drunk, even if he was fifteen) on the floor.

"Go the fuck to sleep." Dean said.

"Ten minutes." Michael said calmly, placing a kiss on Luci's cheek. Luci smiled up at Michael, feeling a lot calmer than normal. Even with his soulmate's terrible taste in music, he and Dean got along pretty well, and Dean swore up and down that he was going to turn Michael into a Rock-head some day.

"Five," Luci cheered. Sam closed his eyes and felt the world slip away.

"Four!" Anna cried.

"Three!" their voices joined a choir that sounded so beautiful it would have made Sam cry if he hadn't felt so... strange... that he couldn't feel emotions at all.

"Two!"

"...one..." the word drifted lazily through Sam's head, like a stroll in the park on a Sunday morning. And then the smell of candy and Gabriel hit him hard, and Sam's stomach dropped to his feet- no- further than that. His stomach dropped all the way through the ground, all the way to Hell.

.o0o.

Gabriel woke up and could immediately tell something was wrong. He hadn't moved. Well, he'd moved to the recliner but- wait- he wasn't _this_ tall.

"Sam?" Gabe called.

"Gabe?" Sam called back, sitting up. And Gabe's stomach fell into the exact same Hell Sam's had. Sam was in Gabe's body, and Gabe in Sam's. Fan-friggin'-tastic.

"Soooo..." Balthazar sat up, "Hi..."

"Who're you?"

"Uh, Adam?" Bal- Adam rubbed his eyes, "Tell me my soulmate isn't a mean drunk?"

"Uh- no- I can't say he is." Gabe laughed, "But apparently he _is_ the kind of drunk to let his friend draw a dick on his forehead while he was knocked out."

"Ugh." Adam groaned, leaning back.

"Happy morning to you!" Dean and Lucifer sang merrily, probably to annoy the ever-living crap out of Bal's soulmate.

"Go 'way." Adam groaned, pushing himself up and sitting.

"Nope. You're having a good, greasy breakfast. Eggs 're on Gabe." Dean smiled at Gabe's body- currently being inhabited by Sam.

"Excuse me, jerk?" Sam made a sassy moosen pose and forgot about his short legs, tripping over them and falling down.

"Wow, Sam." Dean was wiping tears from his eyes.

"How'd you know it was Sam?" Gabe asked, feeling relieved that it wasn't someone else.

"That was the most Sam thing I've seen all week!" Dean laughed.

"Yeah, you're right, I'll make the eggs." Gabe- the one in Sam's body- smiled and made his way to the kitchen, making sure to bang his head on every cabinet he tried to stick his head under.

"Ow. Being tall hurts." Gabriel rubbed the sore spot on the top of his head.

"Being short sucks." Sam pouted, already at the table. Every family member made their way down at some point or another.

"These V-necks are awful." Adam said, inspecting Balthazar's choice shirt.

"I _know_." Everyone responded at once.

"Where do you live?" Anna asked Adam all the questions she had asked Dean five years ago.

"Remember when we went on an adventure?" Dean sighed to Cas.

"Well, I saved your little brother." Cas smirked.

"That you did." Dean said, "And I'll always love you for it." Dean pecked Cas lightly on the lips and entwined their fingers, enjoying the cool feel of the wedding band on Cas' finger.

"Well, you owe me twenty bucks, Dean." Luci said, taking out his wallet, "Gabe did hit his head."

"Shit. I was enjoying a moment with my soulmate." Dean whined, drawing out his own wallet. He gave Luci twenty bucks (last time someone refused nobody ate anything but haggis for a week).

"Now, let's get the festivities under way!" Lucifer said, "Leave some notes for our favorite friend- thing."

"Friend-thing?" Adam asked.

"One day he just... showed up." Luci shrugged, "We've learned to accept him. He's useful during pranks and heists anyway." Luci had a well-paying job that everyone was sure was to run the mafia somewhere. He could have. Michael seemed to give him that scarily calm quality that he needed.

"O...kay?" Adam shrugged too and got to writing. Sam and Gabe mostly sat on the ground and stared at each other, having telepathic conversations.

"Well, this'll end well." Dean said, "Hopefully."


	8. EPILOGUE, BITCHES

**(One year later because I've decided that you must be sixteen to marry in this fic)**

"Sam, will you marry me?" Gabriel asked. Sam nodded and the two collided at the mouth, Fourth-of-July fireworks exploding behind their head.

"Aw, young love." Charlie cooed, "I ship it."

"Charles." Anna said disapprovingly.

"What?" Charlie said defensively, "Anyone with eyes could see how disgustingly in-love they are with each other."

"Congrats, Sammy." Dean interrupted.

"Yeah, congratulations, Samuel." Cas smiled down kindly.

"How's the adoption going?" Sam asked.

"Great. We get to pick up our daughter next Thursday." Dean beamed.

"That's awesome!" Sam cried, hugging his brother.

"How's that thing with Kali going?" Cas asked his brother.

"She's moved on, going on her Soulmate Expedition to Sweden next weekend." Gabe rolled his eyes, "And obviously I've moved on too."

"Good." Dean smiled, "Remember, break his heart I'll break your spine."

"Of course." Gabriel agreed. They all had fun that night.

.o0o.

"Sam, hi." Gabriel said softly, looking down at the earth, three years later.

"Hello." Sam smiled, dressed in his tux.

"You are the most handsome creature in creation tonight." Gabriel said honestly.

"No. It has to be you." Sam smiled right back. On their wedding night, the two danced around on the soft grass surrounded by fairy lights, for what felt like eternity. It was too short.

"I believe we have reached an impasse." Gabriel smiled cheekily at his fiancée- no- his _husband_. My God that sounds cheesy.

"Hmmm." Sam hummed pressing his lips against Gabe's.

"Ewwwww..." a small girl said from one of the pew benches. Sam smiled at his niece, Shari.

"Funny how that works. When we met, I would've been that kid." Gabe snorted.

"But it seems I've left my mark on you." Sam winked.

"Would you like to leave another?" Gabriel winked right back. Sam's face grew bright red, and he wanted to take Gabriel back to their apartment- above Gabe's candy store- and do unspeakable things to him.

And that's what he did. **(sorry I don't write smut)**

.o0o.

When Sam was diagnosed with clinical depression a few years later, Gabe was there.

.o0o.

When Shari graduated fifth grade, Dean and Cas were there, as well as their brothers and sisters and their soulmates, with presents of candy from Gabe's shop and a huge stuffed animal from- ironically- Gabriel.

.o0o.

When Sam attempted to go out the way John did, Gabriel was there. And Gabriel helped Sam get better, because Sam wanted to. For Gabe.

.o0o.

"People said that to love someone else you first had to love yourself." Sam once said to Gabe, "I call bullshit. I hated myself- still do, a bit. But, God, I loved you so much, I forgot what hating myself felt like."

.o0o.

Dean was there when Cas got out of college and became a writer. Dean was a mechanic.

.o0o.

Cas was there when Dean got a badly broken arm from a car one day. Cas cried the whole time (he still denies it).

.o0o.

When Dean cried when Sam attempted to take his own life, Cas was there to comfort him.

.o0o.

"Hey, Dean." Cas said, exhausted and sleep-deprived, "I've done it."

"Done what, now, sweetheart?" Dean asked.

"I've completed my manuscript. The publisher's expecting it in three days." Cas smiled sleepily. Dean kissed his husband.

.o0o.

"This book is awesome, Dad!" Shari squealed, "Am I really the first one to read it?"

"Yeah, sweetie." Cas kissed the top of his daughter's head.

"Good job." Dean smiled at Cas' accomplishment. It was a series of books starring everybody they knew, called _Supernatural_.

.o0o.

"I love you." was passed around in so many different forms and times and voices, from the whispered, "Please don't." Gabe had given Sam on that fateful night, to the loud moan Cas had said that Dean wanted to hear again and again and again from his soulmate. And there would never be a time when they stopped loving one another, not when the stars fell from the sky, not when the birds stopped flying, not when all the demons in Hell roamed freely on the earth.

**End.**


End file.
